Bypass opens after 17-year wait

A bypass, supermarket and new bus station have been built

A bypass built after 17 years of planning has finally opened in a Derbyshire town.

Work started at the Cawdor Quarry site in Matlock in December 2006 to clear the way for a new supermarket and road.

The new bypass road and parking sites have been built to help ease traffic congestion around the town, particularly near Crown Square.

Deputy leader of Derbyshire Dales District Council, Geoff Stevens, said it had been a long time coming.

"It's absolutely wonderful to see this road open," said Mr Stevens.

"This was derelict land, old railway sidings and a quarry and this scheme was the only way Matlock town centre could develop."

Now work has been completed, trains from privately-run Peak Rail will also be able to reach the town centre, eventually linking up with the national rail network, he said.